Wane: Bringing in Hodgson '˜best thing we ever did'

Shaun Wane has hailed the recruitment of kicking coach Charlie Hodgson as 'one of the best things we ever did.'
Charlie Hodgson working with the Warriors kickersCharlie Hodgson working with the Warriors kickers
Charlie Hodgson working with the Warriors kickers

The former England RU marksman is spending the pre-season with the Warriors.

Morgan Escare, Sam Powell and Sam Tomkins are all having weekly sessions with Hodgson, and George Williams will join that mix when he returns to the fold.

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And Wane’s glowing endorsement will no doubt raise hopes he will have a positive influence on their goal-kicking in 2018. Last season’s 63 per cent strike-rate was the worst in Super League.

It is the first time in Wane’s eight years in the first-team set-up that a specialist kicking coach has been brought in.

“It’s going better than I expected,” admitted Wane. “He’s a great guy, the players love him coming down and bringing him in was one the best thing we ever did.”

One player not surprised by Hodgson’s impact is his former team-mate, and friend, Joel Tomkins.

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He saw first-hand during their time at Saracens together how much practice he put into mastering his art.

And forward Tomkins - who has played alongside a who’s who of stars in both codes - said: “Charlie is the best kicker and passer of a ball I’ve ever seen, by far.

“I said to the club when I came back, that was something from my time in union I thought they were way ahead of us at - the standards of kicking and the basic handling drills.

“Not necessarily the short passing, but they put a lot of emphasis on working on the longer passing.

“Charlie is one of my friends, he understands rugby league, and I think he will improve us.”